Medical-Science News

Medical News Blood Test May Help Identify Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, Research Shows Researchers at the Texas A&M College of Medicine, the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and the Omni-Net Birth Defects Prevention Program in Ukraine have identified a blood test that may help predict how severely a baby will be af... – Texas A&M University PLOS ONE; NIH-U01AA014835 ; R01AA013440; NIH-U24AA014811 Embargo expired on 09-Nov-2016 at 14:00 ET Regular Intake of Sugary Beverages, but Not Diet Soda, Is Associated with Prediabetes An epidemiological analysis of data from 1,685 adult Americans finds that regular consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, but not diet soda, is associated with increased risk of prediabetes and increased insulin resistance. – Tufts University Journal of Nutrition Embargo expired on 09-Nov-2016 at 14:00 ET Blood Test May Help Identify Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, Texas A&M College of Medicine and the Omni-Net Birth Defects Prevention Program in Ukraine have identified a blood test that may help predict how severely a baby will be affected b... – University of California San Diego Health Sciences PLOS ONE Embargo expired on 09-Nov-2016 at 11:00 ET New Research Shows Promise for Immunotherapy as HIV Treatment Immunotherapy has revolutionized treatment options in oncology, neurology, and many infectious diseases and now there is fresh hope that the same method could be used to treat or even functionally cure HIV, according to two related studies from Perel... – Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania U01AI068636 Embargo expired on 09-Nov-2016 at 17:00 ET Tiny Barcodes Provide Huge Advance in Personalized Cancer Therapy Researchers are using synthetic DNA sequences as the tiniest of barcodes to determine which anticancer drugs will work best for each individual patient. It's all done within the patient’s tumor, and before treatment even begins. – American Technion Society Nature Communications, Nov 10, 2016 Report: Pneumonia and Diarrhea Continue to Kill Hundreds of Thousands of Young Children in Many Countries A new report finds some progress in combatting pneumonia and diarrhea among young children in the nations most severely impacted by the two diseases, but they remain responsible for hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths around the world. – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Johns Hopkins Researcher Advance Treatment of Tuberculosis by Targeting New Enzyme Researchers at Johns Hopkins report they have laid the foundation to develop novel antibiotics that work against incurable, antibiotic-resistant bacteria like tuberculosis by targeting an enzyme essential to the production and integrity of bacterial ... – Johns Hopkins Medicine Nature Chemical Biology; R21AI111739, DP2OD008459, DE-AC02-06CH11357 Getting Doctors and Nurses to Work Together at Patient Bedsides The structures of health care systems helps determine how doctors and nurses collaborate during hospital rounds, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers. A greater understanding of such team-based treatment in hospitals could help imp... – Penn State College of Medicine Researchers Use Fruit Flies to Understand How Body Responds to Harmful, Cold Stimuli The tiny fruit fly can help humans investigate the genetic and neural bases of detecting painful or harmful cold stimuli and offer intriguing, potential implications for human health, according to a new study. – Georgia State University Current Biology Penn Program Trains Librarians to Improve Public Health and Welfare Libraries are uniquely positioned to address public health needs in underserved populations, according to findings from a study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the Free Library of Philadelphia in this month’s issue of Health Af... – Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania 1U48DP005053-01 Healthy Living Equals Better Brain Function Research suggests feedback loop between greater executive function and healthy behavior – Frontiers Frontiers in Neuroscience Accelerating Cancer Research with Deep Learning Using the Titan supercomputer at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility, a DOE Office of Science User Facility located at ORNL, Tourassi’s team applied deep learning to extract useful information from cancer pathology reports, a foundational e... – Oak Ridge National Laboratory Ludwig Researchers Show How a Targeted Drug Overcomes Suppressive Immune Cells A Ludwig Cancer Research study shows that an experimental drug currently in clinical trials can reverse the effects of troublesome cells that prevent the body’s immune system from attacking tumors. – Ludwig Cancer Research Nature, Nov-2016 Disability, Reduced Social Participation Associated with Chronic Conditions in Middle-Aged and Older Adults Middle-age adults living with a combination of arthritis, heart disease or diabetes, and depression are more likely to experience disability and limited involvement in society – McMaster University UF/IFAS Study: People Who Know About Genetically Modified Food Agree with Science: They’re Safe On the other hand, those who know plenty about global warming are cautious about the science that says humans cause the phenomenon, a new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences study shows. Furthermore, the study showed som... – University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Key Protein in Prostate Cancer Energy Production Identified Scientists at The Wistar Institute have demonstrated how a protein called TRAP1 – an important regulator of energy production in healthy and cancerous cells – is an important driver of prostate cancer and appears to be a valuable therapeutic targ... – Wistar Institute Journal of Biological Chemistry, Oct-2016 Study Suggests Probable Scientific Misconduct in Bone Health Studies MINNEAPOLIS – A new study suggests probable scientific misconduct in at least some of 33 bone health trials published in various medical journals. The study used statistical methods to detect scientific misconduct or research fraud and calls into q... – American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Antibody Supresses HIV in Infected Individuals Antibody VRC01 proves safe for individuals infected with HIV-1 but only modestly controls the virus in participants who stop receiving antiretroviral therapy. – University of Alabama at Birmingham NEJM, Nov-2016 Wichita State University Physician Assistant Alumnus Paves Way for Students to Practice in Puerto Rico Wichita State University physician assistant (PA) program alumnus Troy Richardson recently completed his eight-week elective clinical rotation in Puerto Rico and helped pave the way for students in the College of Health Professions (CHP) at Wichita S... – Wichita State University Military Experience Inspires Nurse Anesthetists to Continue Serving Fellow Veterans in VA Military, veteran, and civilian Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) stand shoulder to shoulder with the veterans they serve, providing safe, high quality anesthesia care in VA facilities across the country. – American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) Pediatric Unit Brings Top Emergency Care to Brooklyn The newly implemented emergency department care model at NYU Lutheran Medical Center has introduced a new model of care to improve efficiency and provide a better patient experience. – NYU Lutheran Medical Center Most Indoor Tanning Salons Comply with Texas Tanning Ban for Those Under 18 When female employees of a mystery shopping firm called posing as 17-year-olds interested in tanning, 81 percent of indoor tanning facilities complied with the Texas ban on indoor tanning for those under the age of 18 in a study conducted by The Univ... – University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Frequent Flyer Seeks to Improve Global Health Mark Gregory Robson has been on a global health crusade for decades. The Rutgers professor has spent countless hours in Thailand, the Philippines, Liberia and other countries working on pesticide issues, education and training. He is Board of Governo... Expert Available – Rutgers University Texans, GE and Houston Methodist Collaborate on Concussion Care The Houston Texans and GE are collaborating with the Houston Methodist Concussion Center to fund a two-year pilot project to bring specialized concussion care via telemedicine to athletes in rural areas. Expert Available – Houston Methodist Former Medtronic Chairman Bill Hawkins Elected to Board of Focused Ultrasound Foundation Charlottesville, VA (Nov 9, 2016) – Former Chairman and CEO of Medtronic Bill Hawkins has been elected to the Board of Directors of The Focused Ultrasound Foundation. – Focused Ultrasound Foundation NIH Awards Baylor Scott & White Research Institute $8.5 Million for Lupus Research Center Baylor Scott & White Research Institute will be home to one of four new Centers of Research Translation, or CORTs. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases will fund $8.5 million over five years toward the center’s rese... – Baylor Scott and White Health Mount Sinai Health System Launches Collaboration with the Regeneron Genetics Center Mount Sinai Health System today announced it will extend its work with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. through a collaboration with its wholly owned subsidiary, the Regeneron Genetics Center, to perform whole exome sequencing on 33,000 DNA and plasma... – Mount Sinai Health System $1.8 Million Grant Funds Digestive Disease Research in El Paso EL PASO, Texas — Co-principal investigators Richard McCallum, M.D., and Irene Sarosiek, M.D., have received a five-year, $1.8 million grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The funds will support ba... – Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Science News Nanoparticle Treatment Adds Antimicrobial Coatings to Leather Traditional leather manufacturing requires the use of several toxic chemicals, such as halogenated flame retardants or organic antimicrobial solvents, which cause pollution. Now, a team of researchers led by Robert Franz of the Montanuniversität in ... – AVS: Science Array Technology of Materials, Interfaces, and Processing AVS 63rd International Symposium and Exhibition Embargo expired on 09-Nov-2016 at 11:00 ET Genetic Repurposing A gene that regulates bone growth and muscle metabolism in mammals may take on an additional role as a promoter of brain maturation, cognition and learning in human and nonhuman primates, according to a new study led by neurobiologists at Harvard Med... – Harvard Medical School Nature, Nov. 10, 2016 Embargo expired on 09-Nov-2016 at 13:00 ET What Does It Take to Make a Memory? Study Says New Proteins Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have now for the first time identified a sub-region in the brain that works to form a particular kind of memory: fear-associated with a specific environmental cue or “conte... – Scripps Research Institute journal Biological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging; 1R21MH096258 Empa Innovation Award for New Flame Retardant The Empa Innovation Award 2016 went to chemist Sabyasachi Gaan and his team. The researchers were recognized for the development of new, non-toxic and environmentally friendly fireproofing agents for the production of flame retard polyurethane foams,... – Empa Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology Tropical Bed Bug Reappears After 60-Year Absence Biologically, tropical bed bugs mirror common bed bugs in that they feed on human blood. So they’re likely to cause similar health problems if you get a severe infestation: fear, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, and itchy, blistery reactions on ... – University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Florida Entomologist Scientists Probe Underground Depths of Earth’s Carbon Cycle Understanding how carbon dissolves in water at the molecular level under extreme conditions is critical to understanding the Earth’s deep carbon cycle—a process that ultimately influences global climate change. – University of Chicago Brazilian Free-Tailed Bat Is the Fastest Flyer in the Animal Kingdom Bats are not just skillful aviators, they can also reach record-breaking speeds. – Max Planck Society (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft) Royal Society Open Science 3: 160398. doi:10.1098/rsos.160398 Natural Compound Reduces Signs of Aging, Including Eye Dryness RPB-supported vision researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have contributed key data to a new study that identifies a natural compound that slows typical signs of aging in mice. The study, published today in Cell Metabo... – Research to Prevent Blindness Cell Metabolism Three New Bird Species Discovered in Africa A Texas A&M University team has discovered three never before documented bird species in Africa, and there could well be more. – Texas A&M AgriLife Geologists Find Key Indicator of Carbon Sources in Earth's Mantle Researchers at the University of Notre Dame found evidence of varying ratios of boron isotopes in igneous rocks, known as carbonatites, of different ages. – University of Notre Dame Nature Geoscience It's Not a Bird! It's Not a Plane! It's the Fastest Flying Mammal, Says UT Study When most people think of animals moving at high speed, they envision cheetahs or swiftly diving raptors. They can now add the Brazilian free-tailed bat — a tiny nocturnal mammal — to the list. A new study from the University of Tennessee, Knoxvi... – University of Tennessee Enhanced Wheat Curl Mite Control Found in Genes The Texas High Plains high winds are a major contributor to the spread of wheat curl mite–transmitted viral diseases in wheat. Cultural control is not very effective because the wind can spread the mites and thus devastating diseases. Scientists no... – Texas A&M AgriLife Major Artery More Rigid in African-Americans, Which May Explain High Rates of Hypertension and Heart Disease African-Americans have more rigidity of the aorta, the major artery supplying oxygen-rich blood to the body, than Caucasians and Hispanics, according to a study by UT Southwestern Medical Center cardiologists. – UT Southwestern Medical Center Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Imaging Scientists, Interns Bring Structural Biology’s ‘Magic Bullet’ Technique to X-Ray Lasers To understand the three-dimensional shape of a protein, scientists often rely on information from similar molecules. But sometimes, the protein is so unique that it’s not possible to find a close relative. – SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Solar Cells Get Boost with Integration of Water-Splitting Catalyst Onto Semiconductor Berkeley Lab scientists have found a way to engineer the atomic-scale chemical properties of a water-splitting catalyst for integration with a solar cell, and the result is a big boost to the stability and efficiency of artificial photosynthesis. The... – Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Nature Materials, Nov 7, 2016 Redwoods Aren’t Endangered, but They Do Have Needs Mention of redwoods may conjure up majestic groves, the hard-fought timber wars, and the threatened existence of a famous, sacred tree species. But one Humboldt State University professor is concerned about an “endangered” listing for Northern Ca... Expert Available – Humboldt State University Collaborations Pharmaceuticals, Inc. And Texas Biomed Announce NIH Award to Develop a Treatment for Ebola The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) recently awarded $596,533.00 to Collaborations Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (CPI) to initiate a partnership with Texas Biomedical Research Institute aimed at repurposing an antimalarial for us... – Texas Biomedical Research Institute Daniel B. Polley, Ph.D., Appointed Director of Lauer Tinnitus Research Center at Mass. Eye and Ear Massachusetts Eye and Ear has appointed Daniel B. Polley, Ph.D., leading neuroscientist and hearing researcher, as the first Director of the Lauer Tinnitus Research Center. In this role, Dr. Polley will direct the Center’s efforts to advance resear... – Massachusetts Eye and Ear PPPL Physicist Richard Hawryluk to Chair the Nuclear Fusion Editorial Board Article describes appointment of PPPL Physicist Richard Hawryluk as chair of the Nuclear Fusion editorial board. – Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Mississippi Added as a Full Member of Pan-Pacific UAS Test Range Complex The State of Mississippi has joined Alaska, Oregon, and Hawaii as a full member in the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) led Pan-Pacific UAS Test Range Complex (PPUTRC), one of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) seven Unmanned Aircraft ... – Mississippi State University Lifestyle & Social Sciences What About that Special U.S.-Canada Relationship Now? NYU’s Remes Available for Comment Jacob Remes, a clinical assistant professor at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, is available for comment on a range of issues facing the U.S. and Canada and what, collectively, they signify under a new American president. Expert Available – New York University Repairing Rifts: Relationship Experts Discuss Rebuilding Post-Election Friendships Jaclyn Cravens and Jason Whiting share ideas on the dangers of communication through social media and how to repair personal relationships. Expert Available – Texas Tech University 10 Missouri S&T Grads Named Alumni of Influence Ten graduates of Missouri University of Science and Technology were honored as Missouri S&T’s 2016 Alumni of Influence during a special event Saturday, Nov. 5, at Hasselmann Alumni House on the Missouri S&T campus. – Missouri University of Science and Technology “Syrian Refugee Children: Food and Shelter is Not the Answer”—Jacob K. Javits Lecture, Nov. 14 at NYU New York University Professor Selçuk Şirin will deliver “Syrian Refugee Children: Food and Shelter is Not the Answer,” the 2016 Jacob K. Javits Lecture, on Mon., Nov. 14, 5:30 p.m. at NYU’s Lipton Hall. – New York University Business News Growth in SNAP Retailers Followed Enrollment Spike During Recession Increased enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in Georgia contributed to the growth of grocery retailers at all levels from 2007 to 2014. – University of Georgia